First, reach into the cavity and remove the gizzard, liver, and neck. The chicken will need to be completely defrosted in order for you to do this, so if it is has been frozen, it will need to defrost in the refrigerator for 2 days or so.

With a sharp knife, cut the wings off where they join the body. You will be able to feel where the joint is and the knife will slip in between the bones if you are in the right place.

Next remove each leg and thigh portion together as one piece. Again you will feel, with your knife, the joint where the thigh connects to the body.

Now separate the legs from the thighs.

Find the point where the breastbone, or “wishbone” ends.

Make a deep vertical cut until you feel resistance against the knife. Now make a horizontal cut to remove the breast portion.

Now you will separate the front of the chicken, where you just cut the breast, from the back. This will require cutting through some small rib bones at the sides.

You will be left with the lower front portion, which you will cut into two pieces, down the center, and the back. Cut the back into two pieces down the center, and split each of those in half.

Exactly the way my mother taught us as girls! And I’m sure her mother taught it to her. I hadn’t stopped to think that this is a skill I need to teach my children (because chicken tenders may not always be affordable ). And, I must get an iron skillet to do this meal justice!
Thanks, Connie. I hadn’t realized I have a skill that really is being lost because we’ve neglected to pass it on. This week’s shopping list will include a whole chicken.